Department for Transport

Cycleways: Greater London

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 22 September 2014 (HL1828), why the completion of the east-west cycle highway through St James's Park and around Buckingham Palace has not yet occurred; and whether they will ensure that a safe, direct and segregated cycle route is provided on this route.

Baroness Kramer: The East West Cycle Superhighway is a Transport for London (TfL) led proposal and therefore decisions about it are a matter for TfL and the Mayor of London. The Department for Transport has however been following the progress of this scheme closely. Her Majesty’s Government understands that the public consultation for The Royal Parks section of the East-West Cycle Superhighway (Hyde Park, St James’s Park and around Buckingham Palace) opened on 9 February 2015 and is scheduled to close on 29 March. This is the second stage of public consultation, and also includes revised plans for Lancaster Gate Gyratory and the junction of Victoria Embankment/Northumberland Avenue. Works on this section cannot be considered until this public consultation is completed. Following consultation, TfL intends to work closely with The Royal Parks to review comments. The Department welcomes initiatives which improve cycling in London, and which support our cycling delivery plan, published on 16 October 2014. The Department provides an annual grant (£1.781bn in 2014/15) to support TfL’s activities and investments, which include the Mayor’s Vision for Cycling.

Regional Airports: Fees and Charges

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Civil Aviation Authority regulations require small airports owned by local authorities, such as St Mary’s in Scilly, to consult stakeholders and users on proposed increases in airport charges.

Baroness Kramer: The Civil Aviation Authority regulates airport charges through the Airport Charges Regulations 2011. These regulations apply to airports with more than 5 million passengers in the year two years prior to the current year. They require such airports to consult airlines about airport charges annually and to give at least 4 months’ notice of proposed changes to airport charges (unless there are exceptional circumstances). All airports that have less than 5 million passengers in the year two years prior to the current year, including St. Mary’s airport in Scilly, are not bound by these regulations.

Liverpool Airport

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the by-laws currently in force that regulate the operation of Liverpool Airport.

Baroness Kramer: A copy of the Byelaws for Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which date from 1982, have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Aviation: Sierra Leone

Baroness Hayman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan urgently to consider the restoration of licences to fly direct to Sierra Leone.

Baroness Kramer: In responding to the Ebola outbreak, the Government’s first priority is the safety of the British people. The decision not to permit direct scheduled air services between Sierra Leone and the UK is part of the Government’s overall strategy to mitigate the risk of Ebola entering the UK and on this basis, the Government’s strategy remains unchanged at this time. Should the assessment change sufficiently, for the Government to become content for direct scheduled services to resume, it would then be for the airlines to decide whether and when they wish to operate, subject to them requesting the appropriate operating permission from the relevant authorities.

Transport: Security

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 27 January (HL4314), what they have done to integrate security arrangements with the creation of more passenger-friendly environments at major transport interchanges.

Baroness Kramer: The creation of more passenger-friendly environments at major transport interchanges can improve passengers’ sense of security through for example better lighting, more information and retail outlets. It is important that all those responsible for the security arrangements at the interchange work together closely to ensure that these are as seamless and integrated as possible. At many major locations there are regular meetings where the British Transport Police (BTP) works in close partnership with local authorities, transport organisations and retailers to share intelligence and plan patrol strategies. The BTP also uses an evidence-based patrol strategy to help identify hot-spot crime locations within the interchange environment and has invested in training its front line staff so that they have the skills to challenge long-term structural or environmental issues which can allow crime to develop within a specific area.

Railway Signals

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that Network Rail has access to sufficient signalling engineers and technicians to undertake design, procurement, installation, testing and commissioning of new signalling schemes including those in Control Period 5 to time and budget.

Baroness Kramer: Managing suppliers and resources to deliver their funding commitments is a matter for Network Rail. We are holding it firmly to the Control Period 5 commitments and will closely monitor its performance.

Home Office

Entry Clearances

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether representatives from the entertainment industry have been consulted on proposed changes to the rules and guidance relating to visitor visas to the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: We consulted with a wide range of sectors on our proposals to streamline the visitor routes and produce new, clearer Immigration Rules and guidance for visitors. These included business groups, tourism bodies and representatives from the arts and creative sectors which included organisations that work in the entertainment industry.The new Immigration Rules for visitors will be laid in Parliament on 26 February and will come into force in April. More details will be available then.

Police: Biometrics

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 9 February (HL4664), what urgent action or advice they have given to police forces about adding faces to the database.

Lord Bates: As I said to my Noble Friend on 3 February, the use and retention of custody photographs taken by the police is a complex issue and needs careful consideration of the balance between public protection and civil liberties. The Government is currently reviewing the framework within which the police use these custody images, and expects to be able to report in the Spring. We have not provided any advice to forces in advance of that review concluding.

Asylum: Finance

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to the Azure Card scheme, what assessment they have made of the possibility of introducing a time limit for support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Lord Bates: No such assessment has been made.

Passports

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps HM Passport Office intend to take to respond to a complaint made in January 2013 on behalf of the Donor Conception Network about misleading public information on gov.uk and in printed leaflets about obtaining passports for donor-conceived children.

Lord Bates: Information was removed from gov.uk in 2013 at the request of the Donor Conception Network. Revised draft guidance will be circulated to the Donor Conception Network and others in April 2015 for comment before being added to the website.

Mediterranean Sea

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the statement by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees that a robust search and rescue operation is necessary in order to save lives in the central Mediterranean.

Lord Bates: The number of deaths in the Mediterranean, and on the land routes from the Horn of Africa to the Southern Mediterranean, are a tragic reminder of the great risks migrants take when they attempt the perilous journey to reach Europe.The Government believes that the best approach lies in the continuation of Frontex (EU external border agency) Operation Triton alongside Italy’s ongoing coordination of normal search and rescue activities. Frontex has been clear that its maritime operations will assist with individual search and rescue efforts in their operational areas if called upon to do so by national search and rescue coordinators.At the same time, the UK is continuing work with other EU countries to tackle the causes of illegal immigration and the organised trafficking gangs behind it, as well as increasing support and protection for those who need it in North and East Africa. It is action of this kind which offers the best hope of an effective response to the numbers of attempted crossings and the tragic loss of lives.

Driving Offences: Speed Limits

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which police forces are actively monitoring 20 mph speed limit compliance; and how many prosecutions were brought for speeding in 20 mph zones between 2010 and 2014.

Lord Bates: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. Enforcement of speed limits is an operational matter for the police.The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, unless stipulated in statute, the location of an offence cannot be separately analysed. Hence it is not possible to identify whether a defendant proceeded against for a speeding offence has been caught exceeding the speed limit in a 20mph zone. This information may be held by the individual courts in England and Wales and as such it can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Police: Stun Guns

Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to review the use of Tasers by police officers and in particular their use against children and young people.

Lord Bates: The Home Secretary announced in October 2014 an in-depth review of the publication of Taser data and other use of force by police officers, to ensure these powers are being used appropriately and in a transparent way. The review will present options for publishing data on how Taser is being used, who it is being used on and what the outcomes are.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 19 February (HL4756) concerning the "on the run" system, whether the scheme was offered to organisations and individuals other than Sinn Fein and Sinn Fein members; and, if not, whether they consider the system to be compliant with their equality obligations.

Baroness Randerson: I have nothing to add to the previous reply of 19 February (HL4756) to the Noble Lord.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 19 February (HL4756) concerning the "on the run" system, what was the purpose of that policy; and why the answer did not cover their policy at the time the scheme was introduced.

Baroness Randerson: As noted in Paragraph 4.5 of the Hallett report, “by late 1999 an undetermined number of people remained outside the UK jurisdiction following the Troubles, but wished to return to Northern Ireland or Great Britain without the risk of arrest and prosecution. At the request of 10 Downing Street, the Attorney General agreed to undertake a review of such cases, independently applying the normal evidential and public interest tests.”The Hallett report makes clear that from the beginning, the aim of the scheme was to communicate statements of the facts, as they were believed to be at the time, as to whether or not an individual was wanted for questioning by the police.

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 19 February (HL4953) concerning a briefing on Northern Ireland, why the list of peers supplied omits a number of peers from Northern Ireland such as Lord Rana; how often the list is updated; by whom; and how.

Baroness Randerson: The list of peers is updated by the Northern Ireland Office in advance of each briefing, based on the criteria set out in the written answers of 10 February (HL4725) and 19 February (HL4953).The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland would be delighted to add Lord Rana to the list for future meetings.

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 19 February (HL4953) concerning a briefing on Northern Ireland, whether such invitations will in future be sent by email as well as in hard copy.

Baroness Randerson: Yes, where peers have published or provided us with an address.

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 19 February (HL4953) concerning a briefing on Northern Ireland, how they can verify that all peers invited received the invitation.

Baroness Randerson: Given the briefing has now taken place, it would not be an appropriate use of resources to undertake such an exercise.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 19 February (HL4756), why the question was not answered in full.

Baroness Randerson: I have nothing to add to the previous replies of 19 February (HL4756) and 24 February (HL4928) to the Noble Lord.

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 19 January (HL3949), in what way the involvement of the government of the Republic of Ireland was consistent with the three-stranded approach to Northern Irish affairs.

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 19 January (HL3949), whether representatives of the government of the Republic of Ireland attended talks on more than one strand; and, if so, on which strand, why, and at whose invitation.

Baroness Randerson: I have nothing to add to my previous replies of 19 January (HL3949), 27 January (HL4283), 4 February (HL4532) and 12 February (HL4726) to the Noble Lord.

Department for Education

Science: Education

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of schools offering triple science GCSEs; what steps they will take to support more state schools in all areas to offer triple science GCSEs to their pupils; and what steps they will take to encourage the recruitment of science teachers.

Lord Nash: Out of 3,910[1] mainstream[2] secondary schools in England with at least one pupil at the end of key stage four, 2,736 schools entered at least one pupil for triple science GCSEs[3] in 2013/14. This figure does not include schools which offered triple science GCSEs, but did not enter any pupils for these qualifications in 2013/14. It also excludes those schools with no pupils entered for triple science GCSEs but where pupils have been entered for all three of GCSE science, GCSE further science and GCSE further additional science, which together cover the same content as GCSE triple science.   The Government is providing £2.6 million in funding for the Triple Science Support Programme over the period 2014-16. This will give state funded schools with low take up of triple science practical support and guidance on providing triple science at GCSE. The support comprises professional development for teachers, setting up networks of schools to share good practice and advice on how to overcome barriers to offering triple science such as timetabling and lack of specialist teachers.   We are continuing to attract top graduates into science teaching. For 2015/16, we are continuing to fund scholarship schemes worth £25,000 tax free in chemistry and physics. We have also announced increases in bursaries also worth up to £25,000 tax free for both these subjects and up to £15,000 tax free for biology. The new package of measures announced by the Prime Minister on 8 December 2014 to train more science and maths teachers will build on this. This £67 million package will benefit up to 17,600 teachers over the course of the next parliament.  [1] As published in the Department for Education’s 2013/14 performance tables.[2] Does not include special schools.[3] This includes full course GCSEs, Level 1/Level 2 certificates, Cambridge International Certificates and Edexcel certificates in physics, chemistry and biology.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to draw up a central record containing a list of governors of all state-funded schools.

Lord Nash: We have plans to provide for full transparency of governor appointments to state funded schools in a number of ways, as follows. The Governors’ Handbook already advises schools to publish the names of their governors on their websites. We consulted recently on amending the statutory guidance to maintained schools to make this a statutory requirement. The consultation closed on 19 February and responses are currently being considered. The consultation also sought views on a proposal to require maintained schools to publish the register of governors’ relevant business interests; this should also include details of any other governing body that an individual serves on. We made clear in the Schools Causing Concern guidance published on 20 January 2015 that local authorities should have arrangements in place for maintaining records of governors in maintained schools. This means that all local authorities should have full transparency of the governors in the schools they maintain. Academies are already required to publish information about governors. The Academies Financial Handbook requires academies to publish details of their trustees, including their register of interests. Trusts are also required to notify the Secretary of State when there are changes to key post holders, including the Chair of Trustees. The Education Funding Agency is investigating the feasibility of holding information on members and trustees in a single database.

Classics: Education

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that changes to examination qualifications now under discussion do not set back the expansion of classics teaching in maintained schools.

Lord Nash: Our reform programme for GCSE and A levels is intended to ensure they are demanding and more rigorous. We have taken account of a wide range of concerns in ensuring that the final content for ancient language GCSEs provides a suitable preparation for further study. The published content for A and AS levels has been designed to allow the development of new stand-alone AS qualifications, including for ancient languages, that can be co-taught with the A level. We are supporting secondary schools by funding £500,000 of training for non-specialist teachers of Latin in state schools, which will to help them get to grips with the GCSE standard.

Ministry of Defence

Type 45 Destroyers

Lord Davies of Stamford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the power and propulsion systems of the Type 45 destroyer; what actions they plan to take and to what timescale in order to remedy any problems that may have been identified; what is the estimated cost of any necessary remedial work; and what share of this cost will be borne by public funds.

Lord Astor of Hever: As a new class of warship the Type 45 has experienced some equipment reliability issues. Most of these have been resolved. Work is continuing to resolve the remaining issues. This is being funded from within existing Ministry of Defence (MOD) support budgets.In addition, options to undertake a Diesel Generator upgrade are being considered. This would add greater resilience to the Power and Propulsion system by increasing electrical generation capacity. The feasibility phase for this work, which is being co-funded by BAE Systems and the MOD, will conclude at the end of March 2015. A decision on whether to proceed with the upgrade programme will then be considered against wider Defence priorities and would be funded by the MOD.I am withholding information about the potential costs for the Diesel Generator upgrade as releasing such information at this stage would prejudice the commercial interests of the MOD.We have six in service, and the Type 45 class has demonstrated its capability, supporting operations in the Gulf and the South Atlantic.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Somerset Rivers Authority

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to ensure that the legislative process of making the Somerset Rivers Authority a precepting body progresses in order for it to be established by April 2016.

Lord De Mauley: The Somerset Rivers Authority, Defra and the Department for Communities and Local Government are currently undertaking a review to identify a long-term, local funding solution for the Somerset Rivers Authority from 2016/17.   The review will look into all possible funding options and how they could be implemented.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Temporary Accommodation

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many families have been in temporary accommodation in the United Kingdom in each year since 2010.

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many families have been registered as homeless in the United Kingdom since 2010.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The information requested is enclosed in the attached table, which includes data going back to 1998-99, which illustrates how the level of homelessness in England is far lower than the average under the last Administration.This Government have invested over £500 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping since 2010. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own. Homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years, and homelessness is around half the average level it was under the previous Administration. Households now spend on average seven months less in temporary accommodation than at the start of 2010. Figures for other parts of the United Kingdom are the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.



England table
(Word Document, 43.5 KB)

Separation

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review their policies and resources which support relationships, in the light of recent research by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the Salvation Army which suggests that relationship breakdown is the most common cause of homelessness.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: This Government has increased spending to prevent homelessness, making over £500 million available to help the most vulnerable in society and have kept strong protections to guard families against the threat of homelessness. As part of this funding we have maintained investment in local authority homelessness prevention services, providing £320 million since 2010/11 which has helped local authorities to prevent over 730,000 cases of homelessness. Almost 38,000 of these were helped to stay in their home through mediation and conciliation schemes.

HM Treasury

Large Goods Vehicles: Licensing

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which government department receives the fines generated from the enforcement of O licences of goods vehicles.

Lord Deighton: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are the main body responsible for enforcement of operator licences for goods vehicles, although individual police forces also have the power to enforce these provisions. DVSA enforcement action consists of prosecution through the courts – in 2013-14 they reported 174 convictions resulting in courts ordering £103,244 in fines. These fines are collected by the courts and all revenue raised is passed on to the Consolidated Fund, and used to fund general government expenditure.

Cabinet Office

Youth Engagement Fund

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 14 August 2014 (HL1625), how many young people from the Gypsy and Traveller communities have benefited from the Youth Engagement Fund.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Youth Engagement Fund aims to support the most disadvantaged young people in society who are at risk of becoming long term NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). The Fund is being awarded through a competitive bidding process over two stages and we expect to announce the winning bidders in the coming weeks. Programmes will start delivering support to disadvantaged young people soon afterwards.

Lobbying

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider adding Governmental Non-Executive Directors to the list of people with whom lobbyists have contact for disclosure in the Statutory Register of Lobbyists.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The statutory register of consultant lobbyists is designed to complement the existing government transparency regime whereby ministers and permanent secretaries publish details of their meetings with external organisations. The Government has no plans to increase the scope of the register.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Cultural Heritage: Exports

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who had ultimate responsibility for the granting of an export licence to the 1942 Alan Turing notebook to be auctioned in New York by Bonhams on 13 April; why that licence was unconditional; and which experts were consulted in making that determination.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Under UK export licensing procedures, archives produced more than 50 years before the date of export, require an export licence. An export licence for Alan Turing’s notebook was issued by the Export Licensing Unit of the Arts Council, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 29 July 2014, having first obtained expert advice on its national importance. It is not Departmental practice to release the names of expert advisers.